Rhetoric and It’s Situations

1. Rhetoric and It’s Situations Scott Consigny By: Jesse Lopez, Miguel Belman, Jessica Ortiz, Ryan Gooding, Laquan Williams, Selina Cordero

2. Bitzer, Vatz, Consigny Bitzer: Argues that the rhetorical situation controls the response of the rethor who enters it, and the situation does not invite just any response it invites fitting responses since any situation some how prescribes the response and for those that do not act appropriately has, metataphorically, failed to read the prescription accurately. Vatz: Argues that rhetorical situations is a non-determined in its self for no situation can have a nature independent of the perception of its interpreter or independent of the rhetoric. Consigny: According to Consigny the rhetor must be able to enter into any situation and disclose or formulate problems therein; he must also present the problems in such way as to facilitate their resolution by the audience engaged with him in the rhetorical process.

3. The Art Of The Topics Consigny relies on the use of topics and how they meet on the two conditions of receptivity and integrity. Integrity: In Consigny’s sense is the “universal” capacity such that the rhetor can function in all kinds of intermediate and particular situations as they happen. Receptivity: Is when the rhetor becomes engaged in individual situations without simply inventing; there by predetermining which problems are going to find them.

4. The Rhetorical Traditions Consigny addresses the rhetorical traditions and refers to Aristotle, Cicero, and Vico on views of topics. Aristotle: stated the topics, “apply equally to questions of right conduct such as natural science, polotics and many other things that have nothing to do with one another.” Cicero: referred to topics as the study, “concerned with the invention of arguments.” Vico: claims that topics, “are the art of discovery that is the special privilege of the perceptive…art of finding in anything all that is in it.”

5. Topics of: Instrument and Realm (Second Important role of the theory of rhetoric) Instrument: with which the rhetor thinks Realm: in and about which the rhetor thinks ~In this second sense the “place” of the rhetor is the region or field by particularities of the persons acts, which establishes meaningful relationships (location or site)

6. Bitzer’s and Vat’s views on Topics Bitzer: Ignores the topic of “Instrument”, which leaves Bitzer’s theory as being one-sided. Vatz: Ignores the topic of “Situation” with a remark the rhetor creates problems at will. ~Consigny had used both Instrument and Situation as a whole on how instrument transitioned to realm. (referred to last slide)

7. Conclusion Bitzer is either the rhetorical situations controls the acts of the rhetor OR Vatz the rhetor freely creates the situation ~Consigny argues that the antimonyof the rhetor and situation can be resolved by the use of rhetoric as an art; “AN ART OF TOPICS”